Influence of Location & Context on Development (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Location & Position of India

• Officially known as the Republic of India, it is the world's seventh-largest country by area

• Found on the continent of Asia, in the northern hemisphere, India is the most populous country in the world, with 1.43 billion people (2023)

• Its neighbours are Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan

• India has a long coastline that extends into the Indian Ocean along the south coast, the Arabian Sea on its west coast and the Bay of Bengal along its east coast

• India also has two island groups:

  • The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal

  • Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea

Location and development

• India is able to access the world via land, sea and air

  • India aims to become a major transport hub like Singapore

• China and India are major growing economies

  • Leading to competition for trade between the two countries 

• India has access to large deposits of natural resources that they can trade and use, such as: 

  • Fossil and nuclear fuels

  • Diamonds, gold, silver, nickel and zinc

  • Iron, manganese, and lithium ore reserves 

  • Mica, limestone, marble and bauxite reserves

• The island groups provide defence security and can also be used as ports for trade

  • They provide a large region of Exclusve Economic Zone, along with natural resources to boost the economy

  • They might also be developed as a tourist destination, providing job opportunities

  • Their position at sea means they can be used for naval and military bases, along with surveillance and communications during wars or crises

Context of India

Social context

• Regional

  • The country and its people are divided into 28 states and 8 union territories

    • Rajasthan, western India, is the largest, and Goa, on the southwestern coast, is the smallest state

  • The population is divided into social ranks called 'castes', which are assigned at birth

• Global

  • 20 million Indian diasporas are in 100 countries

  • This globally spread population helps India's economy by sending remittances back home to their families 

Political context

• Regional

  • It is the largest country of the Indian subcontinent

  • Most of the population lives in six states

    • Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal

• Global

  • Member of global organisations, including the UN and World Trade Organisation

  • It is the seventh-largest country in the world

  • The most populated country in the world 

 Cultural context

• Regional

  • Approximately, 80% of the population is Hindu

  • Other religions include Sikhism and Islam 

• Global

  • India has the second-largest film industry, Bollywood, making over 1600 films a year and viewed by approx. 2.7 billion people

  • Globally, it has the third-largest Muslim population

Environmental context

• India experiences two monsoon seasons

  • The summer south-west monsoon provides 75% of India's annual rainfall and lasts from June to September

  • The winter north-east monsoon occurs during the cooler months of October to December and delivers around 11% of India's rainfall

Uneven Development in India

• Development is uneven across India, varying between core states and its periphery

• Since 1991, India has experienced rapid economic development with the expansion of the service sector

• This has led to rural-urban migration and urbanised core regions such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra having 5 times more GDP than rural periphery areas such as Uttar Pradesh and Assam

• Uttar Pradesh, with over 200 million people, is mostly rural, which means it has much lower development indicators than states that are mostly urban and industrial, such as Kerala

• This has led to a widening of social and economic disparities 

Per capita GDP per state of India, 2023

• From the map above, India has 3 states that can be considered as core regions

• These are:

  • Sikkim is in the north-east, bordering Nepal and Bhutan

    • Surprisingly, despite its mountainous terrain, Sikkim has a very successful organic agricultural economy

    • In recent years, the state has become an industrial hub of pharmaceuticals, ecotourism and food processing

  • Delhi is India's national capital territory and dominated by the service industry

    • The region has always been a trading and commercial centre in northern India

    • Since the 1990s, New Delhi has become the centre of international corporate and financial services

    • Most work is in trade, finance, public administration, and professional services

  • Goa is on the south-west coast

    • Investment in industries has created exports and brought jobs and wealth to the region

    • Its position on the coast allows for global trade into and out of the country

    • It is also a popular tourist destination with great beaches and rich culture

    • However, there is increased pressure on services, with priority given to tourists and businesses

• Bihar is a peripheral region where people still rely on agriculture

  • The state is landlocked and has limited connectivity with the rest of the country, and development remains slow

  • Meaning there are few incentives for investment in infrastructure and industry 

  • There is a lack of clean water and rainfall is unreliable, making life difficult

• It is difficult to provide services to areas that are spread out (peripheral) and hard to reach, compared to core regions

  • Peripheral areas still rely on agriculture for most of their income

  • But as crop yields and prices are variable, incomes are low which deters economic investment into the area

• Core regions have education, health, and job sites nearby

  • Jobs in core regions tend to pay more than what peripheral workers can earn

• Peripheral areas tend to have more traditional values than core regions, meaning people may not accept change even if development is improved

  • The caste system may be stronger in peripheral areas

  • Low-caste people still have issues getting secure or good jobs